I am a wife, mother, educator, and a lover of words, crafts, the arts and my Italian heritage. I am also a woman who has found great peace, direction and courage in committing more deeply to my Catholic faith.
As I explore and share the world in my heart, my hope is that these musings will spark a deeper exploration of your own inner world.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Change is good. Ride the wave...slowly

Well, as with every Advent...it's starting soon (First Sunday of Advent is Dec. 1, 2013), I seem to find that change comes. I feel courageous at this time, so I also make more daring choices, accept new challenges and look forward instead of backward. I think it's the Old Testament readings that get my mind going in the right direction--looking back in order to focus on the future and sit in the present more joyfully. The book of Isaiah really brings this aspect home to me.

Having said that, however, I have to say that many coincidences--or "God-incidences"--also seem to be pushing me forward. Since this has happened pretty consistently during every Advent season since I started following the liturgical calendar more strictly and, importantly, more prayerfully, I can conclude that something more is at work than my simple mind and heart.

So, lately I've been carried forward by a force and energy that isn't wholly mine. Does this always feel 'good', definitely not! I get good pushes and 'bad' ones. Two hospital stays in 10 days with sick kids, a freak accident involving my son's daycare and several other annoyances (including a persistent cough) are not pleasant pushes, but they do push hard on my perceived limitations. I am asked in those difficult and exhausting times to find it within myself to continue, and to continue on the right track, on God's track, with grace and prayer. I get pushed. I get nudged. I accept it, and I move forward more quickly. That's when the courage to take risks kicks in and I can say yes more enthusiastically, I can come up with creative solutions, I can think outside my box because after dealing with life's bumps, I realize that I'm outside the box--I've outgrown it.

So, this Advent season will be about growth, I suspect. It seems to be my soul's pattern. Advent=change, for me. How is it for you?

I'll keep you posted about the crafts I'll be working on with the kids, when my cough abates. Hack, Hack!!